Segway recalls scooters, but tour firm keeps operating and cops land on their feet again

Hours after it was announced that a software glitch on the Segway self-balancing scooter could cause the two-wheelers to unexpectedly reverse direction, a group of brave tourists and locals forked over $70 each to City Segway Tours for a chance to grab the handlebars, lean forward and zip along the lakefront.

Although Segway Inc. urged people to stop riding the vehicles until the problem was fixed, the riders were more concerned with mastering their machines than with potential danger.

"I'm more afraid I'm going to run someone over than this thing is going to run over me," said Becky Dobbin, a helmeted tourist from Gainesville, Fla., as she practiced driving her Segway on an East Randolph Street sidewalk. "I drive to work every day. I flew to get here, and I take buses and trains. This is a chance I'm willing to take."

Segway, the maker of the $5,000 electric scooter, announced Thursday that it is recalling all 23,500 units it has manufactured because of the problem that has injured at least six people nationwide, including one from the Logan Square neighborhood.

The riders injured their faces and hands, and several reported breaking teeth when they hit the ground face first, officials said.

The voluntary recall, which Segway carried out in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, advised owners not to use the vehicles until they are upgraded with new software at any Segway dealer.

Although the downtown tour company operated as usual Thursday, the recall created a quandary for other Segway operators across the city, including the Chicago Police and Fire Departments and Millennium Park security.

The Police Department shelved all 46 of its Segways, opting for most patrol officers to travel on less high-tech tools: their feet.

Deputy Chief Ralph Chiczewski said he already missed the Segway he uses to patrol downtown.

"It is a little bit of a pain in the butt because now we have to walk around," he said. "I can't wait to get them back. I love them."

The Chicago Fire Department turned four Segways in for repairs, but it left two in operation. Yellow-shirted Millennium Park security guards were also left on their feet after sending all six of their scooters to the dealer.

City Segway Tours' only competitor, Segway Experience of Chicago, shut down its rental operation, leaving 40 people with reservations to reschedule or get refunds. Bill Johnson, owner of Segway Experience of Chicago, wasn't impressed that his competition had operated as usual.

"It's irresponsible of them," he said.

Instead, at his shop--the city's only licensed Segway dealership--employees spent Thursday updating the machines. As one worker removed the "T-bar"--the handles and bar connected to the platform and wheels--another connected the vehicles to a laptop to download the new software. Updating each Segway took about two minutes.

City Segway Tours planned to upgrade its software Friday, and it wouldn't skip any tours, office manager Kellye McGregor said. After giving thousands of tours around the world, she said, the company was not worried about injuries.

"We're pleased that people aren't really all that freaked out," she said. "We look out for their safety."

People who paid the company $70 each to ride a Segway for three hours watched a 10-minute safety video, were run through a quick training session and were required to wear a helmet.

By midday Thursday, no one had cancelled a scheduled Segway jaunt, although some called to make sure their reservations weren't in jeopardy, McGregor said. A handful of new customers called to make reservations.

"It's very popular even with the locals because you don't get to ride one every day," McGregor said.

Segway Inc. spokesman Carla Vallone said the recall was the second since the company unveiled its scooter in December 2001. The first recall, dealing with loss of control because of low battery power, took place in September 2003, she said.

The scooters have different levels for speed, and when a rider approaches the speed limit for its level, the machine begins to tilt back to slow the rider, Vallone said. If the rider comes off the platform or disengages with the foot sensors and gets immediately back on, Vallone said, the scooter may shift into reverse, throwing the rider.

The machines have gyroscopes and a computer that can figure out the rider's center of gravity. When the rider leans forward, the machine advances. Segways can reach a maximum speed of 12.5 m.p.h., according to the company.

Some of the six reported injuries relating to the recall required hospitalization, said Scott Wolfson, spokesman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission. He was unable to identify the people who were injured or further detail their injuries because of privacy waivers, Wolfson said.

In the most famous Segway spill, President Bush fell off his Segway in June 2003 as he stepped onto it at the family estate in Kennebunkport, Maine. That happened, embarrassed Segway officials said later, because he forgot to switch it on.

That bit of Segway lore emerged when Steve Beier, an instructor for City Segway Tours, trained his 13 customers in the fine art of getting on the machines (the secret: climb onto it like a step ladder).